I might be buying a 2005 Prius today

Nobody can magically diagnose a car over the internet. But if the battery replacement is genuine and for an original Toyota pack, then you have a good bet that they will last a while longer. It doesn't look like it was super abused in the photos, but you never know what can be under some paint and bondo. I always say a mechanic should check out a used car, any used car. It will cost you $100 usually, but if something is broken you don't know about on the car, I can guarantee it will be more than $100.

 

sounds like a winner. I would offer full asking price and be done with it. offering $5300 could make you miss out on such a gem

 

You should go to mytoyota.com to find what the maintenance history is for the VIN. You can do this by claiming the car - it's well worth the effort. The HV battery replacement should be listed in the history.

Assuming it has a "newer" HV battery, it might be worth $5300 in California. Still seems a bit steep for an 11 year old car with 147K miles. For comparison: I bought my 05 Gen 2 (built March 2005) with 134K miles at a stealership in Indiana - original HV battery in October of 2010 for $6800 plus tax, title, license, etc. Equipped exactly the same as the one you're looking at (mine had no aftermarket add-ons).

The car might be burning oil. Many Gen 2's start burning oil after 100K miles. You might be able to tell by examining the tail pipe. If it's burning oil, the inside diameter of the pipe will be black with soot. If the tail pipe is silver and clean, then it's not burning any oil.

I've been very satisfied with my 05 Gen 2. It's got 247K miles original HV battery, original suspension and brakes. Should last me at least a few more years before I part with it.

So, if you really want a Gen 2, it might be worth the gamble since you're only risking five large.

 

welcome! are you familiar with hybrids, battery failure, a/c failure, brake cylinder failure and etc.?

 

I should have shipped my rust free florida pri' to cali..they seem to sell for twice as much
took me forever to get 3200 for an 04

 

you could make a living at that.

 

You made the right decision. The car was far from excellent condition.

Continue searching and be patient. You'll find one. There are thousands of Gen 2s in CA.

 

looking at 10 year old cars with 150,000 miles isn't going to get much better than that. you may find something shiny on the outside, with a decent interior, but that's all cosmetic. the money is in the intricate hybrid systems.

if your brother is a mechanic, i would have a serious talk with him. all the best!

 

its funny, I sold the car and 2 weeks later it turned up in south florida on craigs list for $5000, and its re listed weekly..i know its mine by the bumper stickers...everyone wants retail but few pay it..im just happy its gone before the battery or ABS or something else went out on the 11 year old car...happy hunting

 

2008 Toyota Prius, back up camera, Bluetooth '08 142k miles, $5900

2008 Toyota Prius, 93k miles, dealer serviced, clean title '08 93k miles, $6300

While you're looking, have a look down the passenger side of the engine to make sure the engine water pump isn't leaking. It shows up as pink, crusty buildup inside and around the large black pulley near the bottom. That's the only repair this '07 has needed.

Try not to get too worried by the fear mongers. These cars are among the most reliable there are. Sure, some run into problems but the odds are with us. Watching the problem reports roll in on the forums can make one pretty unsteady but the overall statistics need to be considered. For every problem report that rolls in, there are probably hundreds of trouble-free ones cruising around. We're naturally much more likely to go out of our way to report a problem than join a forum and post that everything's going great.

I'm very comfortable in this out-of-warranty '07, and plan to keep it much longer.

Good luck!

 

No worries. There seem to be other candidates about as well.

Just a little background info (and you may already know this), but the Gen 2 has 4 water pumps and two batteries (not including the key fobs). The engine coolant pump and inverter coolant pump are probably the most talked-about but there's also an engine coolant transfer pump (moves coolant into and out of an insulated bottle--you can hear it run after power-down) and a heater core coolant pump (keeps coolant circulating for cabin heat so it works with the engine stopped).

The two batteries are the high-voltage traction pack and the 12v auxiliary battery. Both are located under the cargo area.